Phantom Phan Phiction 2
by Scarlett Michealson
Summary: Years after she started performing at the Opera Populair, and after she discovered who she really is, Scarlett is enjoying her new life style...until the Opera House catches fire! Now a stranger has come to investigate what happened, but Scarlett, embracing her new life, investigates the true nature of the stranger and what she finds could change her life forever...


Phantom Phan Phiction 2

 **By Scarlett Michealson**

I had sung my heart out for many years, performing in the Opera house where my father lived. Raoul still visited, and I still lived with him, but I loved them both.

For years I have been here, singing, dancing, playing the piano, and then one night it all started again.

"Does he listen when you practice?" Meg asked. Lacey and the others loved to listen to my tales, the stories with Father and with Raoul. I laughed.

"Every day." I replied. Madam Giry came in and sat down next to all of us as we ate our lunches.

"He's been doing that for a very long time. He listened to your mother too." She told all of us. I smiled. My family was legendary.

"So, why don't we ever see him?" Redetta asked. I chuckled.

"He's not called the Phantom of the Opera for nothing." I breathed. Meg just looked at me.

"You know, when Christine and I were friends, growing up, she had a different name for him." Madam Giry told me. I looked at her. "She called him her Angel of Music." She finished. I nodded.

"Raoul has used that name too." I told her.

"My mother, who worked here, before I did, said she thought Christine was crazy, until she realized it was the Phantom. She used to be the Head Mistress." Madam Giry said. I nodded.

Meg was named after her mother, Madam Giry, who also had the name Meg, and who had been best friends with Christine when everything had happened all those years ago. Madam Giry's mother had been the Head Mistress at the time of the accident, so it was in both our families to live and work here. We loved it.

"Well, since it's summer, you all have the afternoon off, you know the drill! See you all tomorrow at morning practice!" She said, leaving the dining hall. I looked at Meg.

"I think your mother is growing soft. She doesn't yell like she first did when we all got here." Meg giggled.

"Sometimes, I think you're right." She agreed.

After lunch I went down to visit Father. Since I had found out who he really was, I had helped him. Although he still liked the music of the night theme, we had cleaned up everything and we had gotten a new boat. Also, we had gotten new candles for him, and even some electric lights. They were brand new and everyone wanted them.

"So, how was practice?" He asked, when I reached the dock. I laughed, getting off the little boat.

"I don't know. You tell me, you were there." I replied, lifting the new gate. He looked up from his music.

"How do you know every time?" He asked. I laughed, sitting down next to him on his bench, and taking his mask off.

"Let's just say I'm your daughter, and I have some Phantom in me too." I whispered. He chuckled.

"I see. Well, I think you did good. You got a little squeaky on that last note, but with practice you'll get better. You're already a full octave higher than when I first heard you sing." He commented, never lifting his eyes from his papers. I smiled and sighed.

Taking his head in my hands, I lifted it, so he looked at me. He put his pen down.

"You're constant writing has made you old, old man." I told him, and I took his hand and almost dragged him over to the organ. We sat down together and played a new song he had written a year ago. I had worked hard to memorize it and now we could play it perfectly together.

Suddenly, just as we had finished a song, I heard a loud scream from up in the concert Hall. I looked at Father.

"This would be a good time to use that skill of being really fast, which you haven't taught me yet!" I said, as I jumped down and ran towards the boat. When I had made it across, I flew up the stairs and into the Hall. The stage was filled with smoke, and I started coughing as I made my way through. When I reached the hall way, I could see everyone running towards me. I helped them onto the stage and once we had everyone, I pointed at the exit sign at the back of the auditorium. Everyone ran from the stage, and through the seats. As I jumped down from the stage, I heard another scream behind me.

Madam Giry.

I turned around, and without thinking, I ran down the hall, coughing. I found her, upstairs in her room, in a corner. Father stood in the hall, without his mask. I grabbed his shoulder.

"Go! I'll help her! Make sure everyone else is out!" I shouted above the sound of the flames. He nodded and disappeared. I ran into the room and grabbed her hand.

"We have to leave! Now!" I shouted. She shook her head.

"Too many memories! Just let me die with the place!" She yelled. I got in her face, and screamed at her.

"Don't you dare leave your daughter! You're coming with me, RIGHT NOW!" I shouted, and I didn't let go of her hand as we started for the door, but suddenly a beam fell between us, hitting me. She let go, and ran out, screaming for help. I lay on the floor, blind, my face felt like it was on fire and I couldn't help screaming. I felt someone lift it off of me, but then my world grew dark, like Father's.

"Scarlett?" I heard a faint voice. I could hear sobs in the background. I blinked, before my eyes came into focus and I saw Meg, leaning over me. I lay in my room in Father's house below the opera house. I sat up. Meg, and a few other girls, my friends, and Madam Giry, sat there. Some were watching me, and some were watching the door.

"What happened?" I asked, dazed and confused. Why were they all down here?

"The opera house caught fire again, and we all had to leave, but when we couldn't find you, your father rescued you, and brought us all down here. The fire is over now, but our rooms, the dining hall, and the kitchen were badly burned. The Theatre is fine! Thank goodness!" Meg told me. I shook my head. This was all a lot to take in.

"Why's everyone watching the door?" I asked. Madam looked at me.

"You're father hasn't stopped shouting to himself. He's a little scary, you know, especially without a mask." She replied. My eyes grew wide, but my right eye suddenly hurt, a lot. I cursed under my breath, and stood up. Carefully I opened the door, and looked around.

His dark figure stood by the gate, murmuring something about bloody idiots. Cautiously, I walked up to him.

"Father?" I asked, and I laid my hand, gently, on his shoulder. He jumped a little and snapped his head up, but he looked away when he saw it was me. I sighed, and took his hand with my other hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He was sobbing quietly.

"They hurt you, and now I don't know what to do." He breathed. I laughed, but my face hurt, so I had to stop again.

"They didn't hurt me! A beam fell on me! That's all! I'm ok! I promise!" I smiled. He looked at me from the corner of one eye.

"Are you sure?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm sure." I smiled. He sighed.

"You look more like me now." He whispered. I gave him a funny look, and he stood me in front of a mirror. I nearly screamed.

"I'm sorry, Scarlett." He started to sob again. I rubbed his arm.

"Look!" I said, and I ran over to his desk. He watched as I pulled out two masks from his desk drawer. I brought them over and put one on him, and one on me.

"Now, we're matching!" I laughed, a tear rolling down my cheek. He smiled in pity, and wiped it away.

"I guess so." He barely whispered and I gave him a hug.

"You lead the others down here?" I asked. He nodded.

"They didn't want to leave you. They don't trust me." He explained. I nodded.

"Come with me." I said, taking his hand and I lead him back to my room. When I opened the door, everyone looked up, frightened. I smiled, and brought him inside with me. He sat next to me, on my bed, almost hiding behind me, so they wouldn't see him too much.

"I was told I look more like my father now." I said. Everyone lightly laughed.

"So what's going to happen now?" I asked. They all looked at each other.

"We don't really have any money to fix it. I don't know what happens now." Madam Giry told me. Meg and I exchanged sad glances.

"Have you forgotten?" I suddenly heard a deep voice ask behind me. I hadn't heard Father speak like that...ever. I looked back at him.

"Have you forgotten who owns the Opera Populair?" He asked, looking up, into Madam Giry's eyes. She was shaking slightly.

"No." She whispered. He nodded.

"I will fix it. I have money enough." He nearly growled, his voice was so low. I put my hand on his arm, and he looked at me.

"Do you need help?" I asked. He shook his head, and he left the room.

When he had gone, everyone else relaxed. I chuckled, standing up.

"You know," Lacey started, and we all looked at her, surprised. She wasn't one to talk when she was afraid.

"When he's on his own, he can seem scary, and violent, but the moment you talk to him, or put your hand on him, that dissolves instantly, and he becomes a loving, and gentle father." She commented. Everyone nodded in agreement. I looked at the floor, smiling.

"Family tends to do that to you, especially when it's your daughter." I said. She nodded. It felt weird, wearing the mask in front of them.

"Should I take this mask off?" I asked. Madam Giry looked up at me.

"I would leave it on until your face heals, and besides, you look more like him, and he really likes that. I can tell." She said, so I left it.

I decided to show them around and I made dinner. As we ate, Meg looked at me.

"So where exactly did he go?" She asked. I shrugged.

"To do something. I'm sure." I replied. I really didn't know. Redetta looked up from her plate.

"So, since he's the Phantom, and he can like sneak around, has he ever, I don't know, like, taught you how to sneak around too?" She asked, Lacey stopped and looked up to see what I would say. I smiled at my plate, and put my fork down.

"You know, I've often wondered how he can do everything he can. I remember, one moment he was standing up on the catwalk, looking down at me on the stage, and the next he stood before me. How he does it, I don't know. Magic, maybe? But, whatever his ways, he has never revealed them to me. Maybe someday he will, or he won't. Every now and then, I ask him. But he's so used to being a Phantom, to hiding in the shadows, to staying secret, that showing that to anyone else, even to me, is a challenge for him." I told them all. Everyone listened quietly.

"I never thought I would say this, but he's a very good father, better, perhaps, than I had ever hoped. If Christine could be here to see this, I know she would be happy." Madam Giry said suddenly. I took a deep breath. That meant a lot.

When we were almost done with dinner, Redetta stopped. I gave her a funny look.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Sssshhhhh! Do you hear that?" She asked us. Everyone paused to listen. Suddenly my heart stopped and I looked behind me, at the gate. Something was playing, very loudly, in the Concert Hall. We looked at one another.

"I'm going to look." I said, and without looking to see who was coming with, I got up, and got into the boat.

We made it across the lake, and everyone followed me, wearily, up the staircase. When we got to the top, I quietly opened the door, and peered in. The Hall was empty...except for the piano which stood, alone, in the center of the stage as it always had. I walked onto the stage, alone. The others were afraid. The piano was playing a melody, all on its own. It was one of his tricks. He had done it once before to the organ. The first time is scared me a little, seeing what he could do, but now, I was ok with it. I looked around, watching for him, or his mask.

I walked up to the edge of the stage, and stood, utterly alone in the spot light. The piano continued to play the song that we had sung together, so many years ago on this stage. I smiled to myself.

 _"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came, that voice which calls to me, and speaks my name, And do I dream again for now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is here, inside my mind!"_ I sang quietly, when it played again.

 _"Sing once again with me a strange duet, my power over you grows stronger yet, and though you turn from me to glance behind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind."_ I suddenly heard all around me. I smiled.

 _"Those who have seen your face, draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear."_

 _"It's me, they hear."_ He answered again. I looked back at the others, who were staring at me.

"You really are his daughter." Meg breathed. I laughed.

"Scarlett!" Lacey asked, suddenly appearing next to Meg. I looked at her.

"Scarlett..." We suddenly heard all around the theatre. His loud, yet deep voice echoed through the great Hall. Lacey, shivered, and backed away, terrified. I turned around and looked up into box number five, the last balcony, closest to the stage.

He stood there, looking over the railing, down at me. I smiled at him.

"The Phantom of the Opera is there, in this great Hall." I sang. He chuckled, and he sounded much louder than anyone else could ever sound.

"What are you doing?" I asked him. He sighed, and appeared at the bottom of the stairs for the catwalk. I smiled.

"Thinking." He said, normally. The eyes of everyone still standing in the doorway were wide. He came up to me, and I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Just now, you sang as beautifully as the day I heard you for the first time. Your mother would be so proud of you. I just know it." He told me. I could feel tears, but I didn't let him see them.

"So what are we going to do about the living quarters?" I asked. He gave me a funny look.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked. I frowned.

"Um, Father, they were on fire." I replied. He shrugged.

"They looked fine to me just now." He answered. I looked at the door, which lay open, and when I looked back he was gone. I ran towards the door, and looked down the hallway. Just yesterday it had been black, and filled with smoke and the sounds of screams.

"Father?" I asked. He didn't reply, but I found myself wondering down the hall, and when I made it past the staircase to our rooms, and saw the kitchen, it was white, and clean, as if nothing had happened, and when I ran up the staircase and saw our rooms, everything was untouched...except one thing. The beam, that had fallen on me, lay across the floor in my room now, his white mask lying gently on top.

I shivered. It had been a long time since I was afraid of him.

"Scarlett?" Meg called. I heard her running up the stairs. "Wow." She breathed.

"It's like...it's like the fire never happened." I whispered. She nodded.

"What does that mean?" She asked, pointing to his mask on the beam.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." I replied, and picking it up, I hid it in my dress. "Don't tell the others." I finished, and shoved the beam under my bed.

"Can I ask you something?" Meg asked, as I rose again. I looked back at her.

"Your father, what is he?" She asked. I shook my head.

"I don't know."

We were both shaken by the fact that everything looked so perfect. I ran back down with Meg and we told the others.

When they had gone to the living quarters, I sat down by the piano. I didn't even know what to play anymore. There were no words, no notes, for how I felt. I sat there, shaking, on the bench.

"You were once, my one companion," I started. I didn't really know the lyrics well, but I sang what I could, and hummed the rest. I had heard it somewhere, but I couldn't remember.

 _"I am your angel of music!"_ I heard when I had finished the song. I smiled to myself. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him, and while that frightened everyone else, it made me smile and feel better.

"What's wrong?" He asked me, sitting down on the bench next to me, and putting his arm around me. I slumped against him. I had gotten to know him over the last few years and we were very close.

"It's not that I'm not happy that you fixed the opera house. I'm just sometimes shocked at what you can do, and sometimes it scares me a little. You keep everything so secret, and so, mysterious that I catches me off guard sometimes." I told him quietly. He chuckled, and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm sorry I scared you." He breathed. I laughed.

"You don't scare me, but what you can do, does." I replied, looking into his eyes. He frowned.

"You want to know? Don't you?" He asked. I nodded. Lying one hand on the piano, he whispered something in my ear.

At first I didn't understand, but then suddenly I got it. I gave him a funny look. He smiled at my confusion.

"Try it." He whispered, nodding at the piano. I gave him a weary look, but I put my hands up, just above the keys, and thought of what he had said, and suddenly, the piano just started to play, putting my hands in my lap, it continued to play, and it kept playing until I had had enough. I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"That's not the half of it." He whispered, and grabbing my hand we were suddenly on the catwalk. I looked around, amazed at what I had learned. I would never share his secret.

"So, he showed you?" Meg burst. We sat in our room. I nodded.

"Yeah. I know now for a fact that I am his daughter, because if I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to do it. At least, that's what he told me. Meg! It was awesome!" I told her. Her eyes lit up.

"You're lucky." She told me, and we went to bed.

 _"Christine!" I heard behind me. I turned around, confused. "I'm home." She smiled at me_.

I woke up, breathing heavily, my heart racing. I looked over at Meg, who was sleeping. The moon was full, and it lit up our room, so I could see everything clearly. I sighed, and stood up.

It had been a while since I had been on the stage at night, and I could almost remember the thrill of it, knowing he was there, with me. I closed the door, gently and nearly tripped down the stairs. When I got to the stage, the lights were out. I waved a hand, as I walked through the door, and they came on. I blinked. That would need some getting-used-to. The piano sat in its normal spot. But I wasn't in the mood for playing. I thought up a melody in my head, and it began to play on its own. I peered up at the balconies above the audience, and I stood in one. I took a deep breath.

The chandelier. Now I knew how he had done it. I shook my head. It was incredible. This gift, we shared.

"Having fun?" He suddenly asked. I jumped and turned around. He chuckled, and stepped into the light.

"Be careful." He whispered. I nodded, and he was gone, back into the shadows where he had come from.

I hummed to myself as I walked across the stage towards the door again, and just as the lights went out, I thought I heard humming echo throughout the Concert Hall. I smiled to myself, and went back up to bed as the sun started to wake up.

"You're Father was up last night again." Redetta told me, when I came into breakfast. I gave her a funny look. "I heard him." She replied. I nodded. Only Meg new my secret.

"No! Haha! Not at all! Come in! We're just having breakfast!" I heard Madam Giry say behind me. I turned in my seat, and saw her, the Head Master and a stranger come in. She was tall, with dark brown curls, and brown eyes. Her skin was pale, and she wore a beautiful dress, with a big hat. She looked British.

"They say she's a countess." Lacey breathed. Will and Meg exchanged glances.

"Whose they?" I asked. She looked at Madam Giry.

"I overheard them talking about her yesterday. It has to be her, they mentioned big hats." She replied. I nodded, staring at the stranger. What was she doing here?

"Practice!" Madam Giry yelled. We all rose up, and left for our practice sessions. The room where I had always practiced hadn't changed much, there were just more people now. We had more than fifty girls, and thirty guys. I was the leading soprano, like my mother. I smiled every time I thought about her.

I had been at the Opera house for a long time, enough to get used to the long practices. The younger girls complained, but they admired me, and I tried to help them. We practiced until well into the afternoon. My voice was used to the long hours but the younger girl's voices often got tired, and strained.

"They come because you do." Meg told me, nodding behind us. We stood in the Concert Hall after practice, watching the others. The new girls had gathered around us, to watch, but I could feel their eyes on me too. The stranger sat in the front row, watching them, and talking quietly with the Head Master.

When the dancers had finished, I watched them leave. Everyone had free time now, so Meg and the girls also started to file out of the room. I loved it though, so I stayed. I walked up, onto the stage and sat down by the piano, and began to play. I sang along, softly, to the melody Father and I often sang together. It was my favorite because him and Mother had sung it together.

 _"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came, that voice which calls to me, and speaks my name, and do I dream again, for now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is here, inside my mind."_ I sang softly, to myself, but as always, he replied.

 _"Since once again with me, a strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet, and though you turn from me, to glance behind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind."_ He sang, loudly.

 _"Those who have seen your face, draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear."_ I sang. I loved singing.

 _"It's me they hear."_ He replied. And so we sang until the song finished. I stood by the piano, staring at my reflection. He didn't appear, but I knew he was still here somewhere.

"Who are you?!" I suddenly heard someone shout. I looked up at the door to the stage. I could see Madam Giry staring angrily at someone. I ran over. She was staring the countess in the face, who looked rather afraid.

"Is everything ok?" I asked. She looked up, jumping back.

"Oh! Scarlett! Sorry!" She burst, and she took off down the hallway. The women stared at me for a moment.

"You're Scarlett, right?" She asked. I nodded. She smiled.

"You have a beautiful voice." She breathed, and she disappeared down the hallway too. I frowned.

"She says her name is Loretta Kingsman." Started Rebecca, "But, Madam Giry doesn't believe her. She is very suspicious." I looked at Lacey.

"Why doesn't she believe a countess?" I asked her quietly. She shrugged.

"Earlier, when you were singing in the Concert Hall, they were standing in the hallway, listening, and suddenly, Madam Giry said she just started singing along. Scarlett, she knew _all_ the lyrics. _All_ of them." She whispered. We all stared at the stranger.

"That's impossible. Only my family knows those lyrics." I denied. She shook her head.

"Ask the Head Mistress. That's what she told me." She argued. I stared at her for a long time. She still wore that hat, and she wore a lot of make-up, especially for someone who appeared to be older.

"How old do you think she is?" I asked. Meg looked at her.

"Maybe forty. Maybe older. Why?" She asked. I looked at my plate, suddenly not hungry.

"My mother has been dead for twenty years." I looked at her. Lacey dropped her fork.

"You can't be serious." She nearly choked. We all looked at her.

"She said earlier she had lived here twenty years ago, but that something came up and she had to leave. She said it all happened right around the time of the accident." Our faces turned white, my eyes grew wide, and Meg shoved her plate away.

"I can't eat. You think that women is your mother?!" She burst. We shushed her.

"No! It's just, that, well she knew the lyrics, she's the right age, she was here all those years ago...I mean. Does anyone else think there's a possibility?" I asked. Will nodded.

"I could see it. Why else would a British countess come here? I mean, they don't exactly like us." He reasoned. Meg thought for a moment.

"Meg, he's right. Everything about her screams suspicious." Lacey contributed. I sighed, and standing up, I went up to my room, even though we hadn't been dismissed. I was old enough.

Sitting on my bed, I pulled out the beam and his mask from under my bed. sighing, I stared at it for a long time, and then took off the one I wore. My face was almost healed now, but I had a secret too. My face was starting to scar, and I didn't know how to tell Madam Giry. Either the audience would have to except my new appearance, or I would have to wear the mask on stage, like my father, like the Phantom.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming, and I shoved everything under my bed, and put my mask back on. I watched the stranger walk by my room, and go into hers. She was staying in the guest bedroom.

I sighed. Something about her was different, and I was going to find out. After all, I was like my father. I smiled, and felt the beam against my foot.

"Are you ok?" Meg asked, walking in. I turned over on my bed.

"I guess. It's just hard, talking about my mother with everyone. I'm not really used to it yet." I replied. She sighed, sitting down on her bed.

"Do you remember her?" She asked. I nodded, sitting up, and slumping against the wall, my feet sticking off the end of the bed.

"A little." I replied. She smiled.

"What do you remember?" She asked. I smiled at my folded hands.

"Playing the piano with her and singing. We used to do that all the time together. She was my inspiration. She's the reason I'm here." As I spoke, Meg smiled, imagining it.

"Sounds like you two had fun." She whispered. I nodded.

"Yeah, we did. Raoul used to sit, and watch us together and when we were done we would go, race downstairs and get ice cream. He loved it. Now, he doesn't even buy it anymore." I said. She nodded.

"Death can change the people around it." She breathed. I chuckled.

"That is very true." I murmured.

When everyone had gone to bed for the night. I sat on my bed. I could hear the stranger, typing on her type-writer. Only the wealthy had them. They were very new.

As I sat on my bed, staring at the mask in my hands, I listened as she stopped typing. Frowning, I listened closer, and heard her footsteps as they walked down the hall, passed my door, and down the staircase. I opened my door, and watched as she started down the hallway. Staying in the shadows, I appeared behind the stage door as she walked up to it, and peering through the opening between the door, and the wall, I watched her walk onto the stage, which was dark.

When she wasn't looking, I ran around, and stood on the other side of the doorway, peering in. She stood, alone, on the stage, just staring into the darkness, not moving. I frowned. What was she up to. And then suddenly she looked down and the lights all came on. I nearly gasped out loud, giving myself away. I covered my mouth with my hands and backed away from the door before she could see me. Only someone in my family could do that...

For a long time the Concert Hall was silent, and when I finally looked again, she still stood in the center, by the edge, staring up, at all the lights.

"In sleep he sang to me. In dreams, he came. The voice, which calls to me, and speaks my name." She whispered, almost singing the words. It was like she was trying to remember them, like she had known them from a long time ago... I eyed her closely. How did she know them?

 _"In sleep he sang to me! In dreams, he came! That voice which calls to me and speaks my name! And do I dream again?! For now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind!"_ She suddenly sang out. It was the loudest I had ever heard a soprano sing, much louder than I was, and for her it seemed so natural, as if she had always sung like that. My eyes grew wide, as I held my breath, amazed at what I was hearing. This was sure to wake the others.

 _"Sing once again with a strange duet! My power over you, grows stronger yet! And though you turn from me to glance behind! The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind!"_ He suddenly replied to her. His voice was deep, and smooth, and it sounded different than before. I felt the blood from my face drain. He never sang with someone he didn't know. He knew her.

Suddenly I had a wild idea, and only moments to do it. I walked towards her, on the stage, and stopping, just where she wouldn't see me, I started to sing too.

 _"Those who have seen your face, drawback, in fear! I am the mask you wear!"_ I sang out. She jumped, staring at me, mortified.

 _"It's me they hear!"_ He replied. I could sense him, in the Hall. He was here.

 _"My spirit and your voice, in one, combined! The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind!"_ We all sang together.

 _"In all your fantasies, you always knew, that man and mystery..."_ He continued a moment later. I couldn't help but listen and wonder at his magnificent voice.

 _"Were both in you!"_ She finished, startling me somewhat. Her voice was very high, and very loud.

 _"And in this labyrinth, where night is blind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind!"_ He sang. His voice was so loud, so deep, that I could feel it, vibrating in my chest. He had so much power and we could both feel it. The song seemed to go on forever.

 _"Sing! My angel of music!"_ He continued. I couldn't believe what was happening.

 _"He's there, the Phantom of the opera!"_ She replied to him. And she started to sing, slowly getting higher.

 _"Sing! Sing for me!"_ He kept singing. I had never heard him sing like this. He was begging her to sing, almost like what they had said he had done when he had met my mother. My heart was beating like crazy.

 _"Sing! My angel of music!"_ He sang out, getting louder as she got louder. I stopped. That had been the name he had used for Mother. I gulped as he sang for the final time.

 _"Sing for me!"_ He roared, and she reached the highest pitch she could sing. It almost hurt my ears for how loud they were together. Now I knew why the audience had always loved her.

We all stopped then, and the Concert Hall grew eerily quiet, as we all caught our breaths. I could hear her breathing heavily, and she looked at me as I looked at her.

"You know him?" I asked her. She nodded.

"From a long time ago." She breathed, still catching her breath.

"Scarlett." His voice echoed. We both looked out, over all the seats.

"You know him too?" She asked. I smiled, almost wickedly.

"I'm his daughter." I replied. Her face grew white as she looked at me.

"Christine?" She whispered. I looked up from the seats back at her.

"How did you know that?" I burst, walking over to her. She stepped back, and looked away.

"I...I..."She stuttered.

"She's your mother, Scarlett." I heard him say behind me. She looked back at the two of us.

"That's impossible." I replied, shaking my head. "She's been dead for twenty years." I said, backing away, and I backed right into his arms. He looked down at me.

"Scarlett. Look at her." He whispered. I blinked, and looked back at her.

"Oh my...you really are Christine, aren't you?" I asked. She looked at the floor.

"I am." She murmured. I smiled.

"Where have you been?" I asked. I heard her sigh. She was not happy with herself. I could tell.

"Singing, in London." She replied. I looked back at Father, wearing his mask. I laid my hand, gently, on it, and without stopping me, I pulled it away from his face and removed it, laying it in his hands. She looked passed me and into his soft, kind, eyes.

"I always knew you had a soft side." She smiled more to herself. I chuckled, looking back at him.

"I guess it's time I do. But then again, I always had a soft side for you, my Christine." He whispered. I saw her eyes light up when he said her name.

"Your Christine?" She asked. This was the side of him I didn't really know. This was the side of the Phantom, the side that still loved my mother.

"You have always been, my Christine. And I, your Angel of Music." He whispered. She smiled.

"I had almost forgotten." She murmured, blinking. She moved around me, her eyes never leaving his.

"Oh Erik." She murmured, "It's been so long."

"Um, what should I call you?" I asked her. She was my mother, but I had only just met her again. She looked back at me, and taking my hand, smiled, thinking for a moment.

"Christine, or Mother. Whatever you want." She beamed at me. I nodded, feeling much better.

"Sweetheart," Father started. I looked from Mother to Father, and felt a smile starting. I had never really done that before. "Would you mind staying here? I want to speak with your mother alone, if she'll let me." He said to me, looking at her. She blinked, but didn't refuse. I nodded.

When they had left, I sat down, quietly, by myself, at the piano. Now, it was just me, and the stage. I smiled. Suddenly, everything felt right in my world, like one of the last pieces of the puzzle had been placed. There was just one more...

"What on earth happened last night?" Lacey was asking, even before breakfast. All the girls had crammed themselves into the room I shared with Meg. Meg was watching me now, smiling like an idiot. I shrugged, and put my mask on, to cover to hideous scar across my face.

"I discovered another secret." I said, coming out of the bathroom as I put my last earring in. They were all sitting, waiting, anxiously. I laughed at their faces.

"My mother. Well, how shall I say this, she never died." I told them. Redetta's eyes nearly came out of their sockets.

"You all met the stranger? Am I right?" I asked. They nodded.

"Wait..." Lacey's face lit up. I smiled.

"Meet my mother, Christine Daae." I was beaming at the shock their expressions all displayed.

Aside from the fact that I was enjoying the surprise, I was also enjoying the fact that it was true. She was back. She had never died, and she was upset that she had ever left. I just hoped she wouldn't leave us ever again.

Even more interesting than the fact that she was back was how Madam Giry acted. It was no secret that they had once been best friends, but she almost went crazy when she heard the truth.

"Where is she?" Madam Giry asked, eyes wide. I looked at my feet.

"Where do you think?" I asked her. She fell silent.

"That's not possible, she's..." She trailed off.

"She's? She's what? Afraid? No, not anymore." I finished. She gulped.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" She asked. I shrugged. Everyone sighed, sitting back.

"Don't you just love a good crepes?" Lacey smiled, almost done her breakfast before I had even taken three bites. I giggled.

"Well I know you do." And all the girls laughed.

"You know, we should be talking about more practical things." Redetta told us, sarcastically. We all giggled.

"Oh yeah? Why?" Meg asked. I took another bite of my crepes.

"Because we're all over twenty at least." She said. She was the wise one among us all. I rolled my eyes.

"Sometimes the simple things in life, count." I replied. Everyone nodded.

"That's true. Especially for you." Lacey murmured. I smiled to myself.

"Scarlett?" I suddenly heard a voice behind us. I turned around in my seat, and looked back at the door. She stood, in the same dress as last night, her long, brown, curly, hair still pinned back. Everyone stopped, and stared at her, their faces white and their eyes wide.

"Yes, Christine?" I asked. She smiled.

"Can I talk to you? For a moment." She asked. I nodded, and stood up. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as we left the room, and I was careful to close the door behind us. I lead her down the hall and around the staircase, and behind it, where no one would see us.

"Erik and I, we um, well, we talked, and we sang a lot together. I have to tell you that you were right. He's changed a lot. He's not the same man, I left under the opera house all those years ago, he's much better. And I can definitely tell he loves you, and cares about you a lot.

I, um, I also have to tell you that I'm deeply sorry for leaving you, and making you and Raoul believe that I had died. I just didn't want you and him to try to find me. I was terrified of your father at the time, and he always seemed to be haunting me, no matter where I went, so the only solution I could come up with was to make everyone believe I had died, so he wouldn't look for me either. For a long time I tried to forget about everything, but then last year I saw your face in the papers in London. They named you, and said you were my daughter and how you were following my footsteps, and they even brought up new rumors of Erik and I had to come back, and investigate. I just didn't know how else to come back. I'm so sorry." She whispered, sobbing quietly. I frowned. I didn't like when people cried. I took her arms, and gave her a big hug.

"I forgive you, Mother. That's what God would have me do. And that's what is right. Now, let's not waste any more time on the past." I told her. She nodded, and we walked, slowly, quietly down the hall.

"You look so much like him. It's almost funny to look at you, wearing that mask." She smiled at me. We sat down, by the edge of the stage. I laughed.

"Why do you wear it?" She asked, looking at me. I looked at the folds in my dress, and felt my shoes slip off my feet when I swung them back and forth.

"A few months ago, we had a terrible fire, and as I was helping Madam Giry, a wooden beam on fire, fell on my face, and burned me terribly. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it isn't very pretty either." I told her, taking it off, and I finally had the courage to look at her a moment later.

"Wow!" She gasped, quietly, covering her mouth. She reached up with the other hand and felt it.

"But your father didn't do this to you?" She asked. I laughed.

"Of course not! He would never." I replied, shaking my head. She nodded.

"I'm really proud of you, not only for everything you've accomplished here, but also for loving him, even though he does look the way he does, and act strange sometimes." She told me. I nodded.

"At first, we were just friends, but when Raoul told me the truth about him, I found I already loved him, and we grew even closer. I think Raoul was also afraid of him, but I think he was more afraid that he would steal me away and never let me go again. It took him a long time to realize that he had changed and he wasn't like that anymore." I told her. She nodded.

"So what happens now?" I asked, looking down at her fingers, for a ring, but she wasn't wearing any.

"What do you mean?" She asked. I chuckled.

"Are you going to marry again, or are you married?" I asked. She laughed.

"You take things quickly. No, I'm not married at the moment. Raoul told me when I visited him some days ago that after five years everyone thought I was dead, so he had the marriage voided." She said, staring at her hands. I frowned. I hadn't known that. "So, " She began again. "I think I'm going to do what I should have originally." I looked up for a moment, just staring out at all the red, velvet, seats.

"I think I'm going to marry the Phantom of the Opera." She breathed. My head snapped in her direction.

"Really?" I gasped. She nodded.

"That is, if he asks me. If he doesn't, I don't know then. Maybe I'll go back to Raoul. If there's one thing I've learned after all these years, it's to follow my heart." She told me, quietly. I nodded.

"What about you? Do you have a lover?" She asked. I giggled.

"No, but I hope to." I replied. She nodded.

"Hope to do what?" He asked. We both looked back at him. He smiled.

"Finally, together, at last." He breathed, and he sat down behind us, on the stage. I smiled, pulling my dress up, so it didn't hang over the edge anymore.

"So what do you hope to do?" He asked me. I smiled, looking at Mother.

"To find a lover soon." I replied. He smiled.

"You should. You're old enough." He smiled, and Mother and I both giggled. He shook his head.

"You two together are going to be fun." He commented and we both just continued to laugh.

When everyone was asleep, I did what I had done so many times before. I found myself, sitting by the piano, but rather than playing it, I just stared at it. I stared at the keys which looked older than when I had first found them, ten years ago. I sat there, for a long time, in the comfort of silence. I could hear notes playing in my mind, things that just came to me. Father said it was part of being in our family, and that he was the same way. I enjoyed listening to him when he wrote and played something new. And when I asked him one time, he said they all came from his head.

I looked up from the piano into the empty audience. The lights, seemed to be shining just a little brighter than normally, and the chairs seemed to watch me, just as an actual audience would. The balconies were all dark, and so was the catwalk. I could sense that I was alone, alone in this magnificent and massive room. I played something soft, just to myself on the piano, and as I played I could hear the lyrics, already forming in my mind. I smiled to myself.

For a long time I played, gently, quietly, so I didn't fill the room with sound, and wake everyone again. As I played, I could feel what Father always described as my soul starting to soar. I felt almost like I was flying, floating with the music as the notes drifted into the air around me.

Suddenly as I played, I heard footsteps coming, down the long Hallway. I looked back at the balconies, and suddenly I stood in one, hidden behind some curtains. I watched as Will walked, carefully, and quietly onto the stage, looking around.

When he was sure no one was there, he sat down by the piano and began to play. I hadn't even known he could play piano, and then, he began to sing. I gasped. His voice was beautiful. It was the most beautiful I had ever heard, in all my years of being here, and I hadn't even known. Like all of us, he had a secret too. I smiled to myself, and watched him carefully from box number five.

And then I realized something.

I wore a mask, a white one. It covered half of my face to cover a terrible scar. Now, as I wore it, I looked down, from a dark, and hidden place, and watched someone on the stage, as they sang with the most beautiful voice I had ever heard, and now I felt it. I felt the true music of the night. I felt exactly like my father. And so I became, the Phantom of the Opera.

The End

For now...


End file.
